Record Shopping : Byron Lee And The Dragonaires

Yesterday I went record shopping and found a ridiculously beautiful 60s copy of the above lp. What the fuck right? Who ever sees beautiful 1960s jamaican records in good shape? Nobody. Anyway, it's a damn perfect record. It even comes with an insert with some ska dance moves and brief lessons on how to execute them. And on the cover there's a little ad: 'Wherever there's SKA...there's Red Stripe".

The song below is on the lp.






November 4 is the one year anniversary of Byron Lee's death. I'm planning a party. Stay tuned..

West Coast Summer Tour 2009

So here it is, ladies and germs. The tour flier for the highly (right?) anticipated west coast tour by Crocodiles, PENS and Graffiti Island. Simple, stark, and highly photocopied. Just how we like it. This tour's going to be a doozy folks.

17 Seconds / Bam Bam

Anybody in the market for 17 seconds of brilliance? Eye/ear candy? Ok, here's 17 seconds of Sister nancy's 'Bam Bam', kind of a summer jam, no?

Graffiti Island Interview Via Fader

Fader just posted this interview with Graffiti island and I thought all 20 of you loyal readers would love to take a nibble. Of course, G.I. are heading to California soon and have a song on the exciting new Art Fag 7" with Dum Dum Girls, PENS & Crocodiles, so this seems like perfect timing. Meet Graffiti Island in their own words and listen to their Moon Tan offering to the 7".

As we've been saying the past week, you can preorder the record here and thank yrself on September 1st when it ships.

Forkast On Internet Forever

Pitchfork has discovered my best kept secret. Internet Forever's 7" will be released in a little under a couple months and you can read their take on the matter here. The 7" has two songs on it, 'Break Bones' which is Forkasted and '3D'. If you have any taste for noisy melody, these songs will be stuck in yr head for weeks and weeks. And if you like those, go to their Myspace and listen to 'Cover The Walls'. The first time I heard it I listened at least ten times in a row.

Mutating Meltdown / San Diego / Aug 7

One of my favorite records released this year is the Mutating Meltdown 7" on M'Lady's Records. It's post punk, no wave, distorted disco GOLD. Veronica & Erin from Finally Punk are 2/3 of MM, and I think it's their best project yet (although I love the fuck out of all of 'em, nuff raspeck).

Well all that being said, I'm straight trippin' that they're on tour now and on the way to sunny San Diego on Aug 7. Badass. They're playing a kinda big deal at Soda Bar. Beaters are playing and celebrating their new 7" release, along with Christmas Island, Wicked Awesomes and Le Face. Also, for extra added pleasure bonus, Crocodiles' Brandon will finally be back to help me clean the earholes of all the unsuspecting guests.

8 BUCKS playa...

Oh wait, how bout the flier huh? Gay Chicanos. All expressing themselves. What a find.

Lastly, check the Mutating Meltdown Myspace thing for all the tour info. They're playing literally EVERYWHERE so go see 'em!!

Male Bonding

'Years Not Longer' by Male Bonding is my favorite song right now. Go listen to it! It's on their Myspace. It's perfect, really.

It's going to be on an upcoming split 7" with Eat Skull to be released by Tough Love Records. It's due in September and you can preorder that shit at their website. There's only 500 copies being pressed. The cover's kinda sick too.

September Nights / San Diego

September 3 - The Strange Boys, Cold Cave, Crocodiles, The Anasazis @ Soda Bar $8

September 4 - Glass Candy, Cold Cave, Best Coast @ The Casbah $12

These were confirmed today, so i thought I'd share them with the San Diego fools. They should be magic nights.

Too Many Creeps / Gun Outfit / San Diego

This is a poster I made for a special show next Sunday. I'm kinda pumped on it cuz I love Gun Outfit and I love playing records with my friend Brian. He plays in Christmas Island and Spirit Photography and he's a top ass cat. Gun Outfit are punkers. Good ones too. This crap is free, and potentially tons o' fun. San Diego, you are some lucky ducks.

Sex Is Disgusting 002 - Mazes 'Bowie Knives' Single

So our UK dogs Sex Is Disgusting have just released a sure stunner of a record. Mazes' 'Bowie Knives' is a blown out fuzzy spoonful of sugar. Get it while you can neighbor.

SID002 - Mazes 7", limited to 250

A: Bowie Knives

B: Bethesda, I'm A Smoker

ORDER NOW

Prices include postage:

UK - £4.50

EU - £5.50

World - £6.50

Paypal - sexisdisgusting@gmail.com

Dum Dum Girls, Crocodiles, PENS, Graffiti Island 7" Preorder

Art Fag Recordings 005 is now available for preorder. A 4 way split featuring Crocodiles, Graffiti Island, Dum Dum Girls and PENS. 4 new songs just in time for..eh...late summer. 4 Fuzzed out gems, totally different, yet meant for eachother on this magic slab.

This will not ship until September 1st. The pressing info is as follows: 300 black, 200 white (white will only be available on the upcoming West Coast tour.). Order here.

Here are the final and complete tour dates:

08/19 - San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop #
08/21 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir #
08/22 - Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey #
08/23 - Portland, OR @ SMMR BMMR %
08/25 - Sacramento, CA @ The Blue Lamp $
08/26 - Santa Cruz, CA @ Crepe Place #
08/27 - Los Angeles, CA @ Spaceland #
08/29 - San Diego, CA @ Casbah ^^

# Crocodiles, PENS, and Graffiti Island
% Graffiti Island and PENS
$ Crocodiles, Graffiti Island, PENS, Ganglians, and Christmas Island
^^ No Age, Wavves, Crocodiles, PENS, and Graffiti Island

New PENS Video - 'High In The Cinema'

PENS have just made a video for their song, 'High In The Cinema' . HITC was the song that made me love them. The vid is hella low budge and it works nicely. Did you know FUN was back in?

After you watch and sign in to the PENS fan empire, don't forget they are coming to the West Coast August 19-30 and releasing a song on an Art Fag Recordings 7" which includes Dum Dum Girls, Crocodiles and Graffiti Island. Preorders soon...stay tuned...

San Francisco's Grass Widow Has Released A Ten Out Of Ten LP

So I order records for a store in San Diego. Today I was totally pumped to recieve this thousand dollar order from Revolver Distribution. It was like Christmas. I ordered a copy of everything for myself, and I went kinda nuts haha. Anyway, the highlight of my day was listening to the new Grass Widow lp. Mother of god. It is the most perfect 'album listen' I've had in a long time. Seriously, my listen went like this: side A, side B, side A, side B, side A, and then I ran out of time and went home. I know there's good and great songs on tons of records but the way these songs all fit and flow on this record is rare. Wow. Sorry I'm trippin'.

San Francisco's Make A Mess Records, which put this out is on a roll with records recently released by Brilliant Colors and Nodzzz. I can't wait to hear what's next from them. And I most definitely can't wait to see Grass Widow live. SHIT. The California goldrush continues...

Oh and here are some dates they have in the next few:


AUG 21 2009
HEMLOCK TAVERN W/PSYCHIC REALITY SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

AUG 28 2009
TBA W/PURPLE RHINESTONE EAGLE SF, CALIFORNIA

SEP 3 2009
TBA W/STUPID PARTY SAM’S CLAM DISCO, CALIFORNIA

OCT 18 2009
TBA W/GAROTAS SUECAS (BRAZIL) SAN FRANCISCO

Explode Into Colors Debut A Magic Ass Record

M'Lady's Records (Ann Arbor, MI) is now taking orders for a magic ass record by Portland's Explode Into Colors. It's a chunk of brilliance on a seven inch record. Super psyched. Below is the description as provided by M'Lady's records themselves. Isn't 2009 better than advertised?

M'LR 014 - Explode Into Colors "Coffins" b/w "Sharpen the Knife" 7"
NOW TAKING ORDERS! - RECORDS SHIP ON AUGUST 4!

Devastating debut from one of the most exciting groups we've heard. Claudia, Lisa, and Heather throw down with abandon and a ferocity that will leave you breathless. Guaranteed to turn yr summer ON ON ON. Formidably recorded by Christina Files, mastered for immense bass response by Bob Weston, and packaged in an all-white embossed sleeve with a full-color insert by Aidan Koch. This is a one-time pressing, all of them on black vinyl.

This is me again. I doubt this record will be around very long, so go order it!

If Yr In San Diego Tonight...

Don't forget the mother of all partytimes is tonight at The Whistle Stop and it's free for card carrying adults. SD's best new band Beaters, LA's lo-fi melody master Best Coast, and also from LA dreamy duo Pearl Harbour. Punk rippers throughout the night, soul 'n' oldies stompers after for shaking purposes. You're welcome for this and don't mention it. Sorry, I'm just mega pumped! See ya there Californians.

New Vid For Mika Miko's 'Totion'

Yo, so Mika Miko released a new video for 'Totion'. It's silly an very Mika Miko. You know, LA's best & brightest. Get the new LP 'We Be Xuxa' holmes. I'll be releasing a limited cassette (300) of the album probably after summer via my label Art Fag Recordings. Siick.

Btw, last night if you weren't in San Diego and at The Casbah you missed magic magic magic. They forgot the hair dryer but made up for it with one of the best shows they've ever done in sunny SD.

Bare Wires

More California perfection. What's weird is that it took me reading a UK blog to learn. Now that I learned I'm happier and prouder to live in the Golden State. Bare Wires is their name and they have an LP out on Tic Tac Totally. Check their Myspace thing for tons of dates starting soon.

Perfect song and video below my friends..

Ye Olde Maids Got A Sick Ass Stereogum Plug

You can go enjoy it here. Plus you can get free songs and shit.

Also, don't forget Ye Olde Maids' "God Blesses Us, Mother Dresses Us" LP is available on the Art Fag website. It's limited to 500.

Tuesday / Friday: Super Kool Shit In San Diego

Jesus Christmas, this week has some ridiculous shows in San Diego if I do say so myself. Why don't we take a minute to discuss for the kool San Diegans in the house. Let 'em in on what's what around here. So SD fools read on and don't miss these shenanigans.






Firstly, on Tuesday, Mika Miko, the best punk band in California returns for the first time since 'We Be Xuxa' was released. Yes, they are the best punk band in California, take it from me an extremely unpunk proud Californian. Fullerton's Audacity is coming with them. Not too shabby these noisy 'slop poppers' (that's their own description). Lastly, on the big ticket is arguably San Diego's best band, Beaters. I can't think of a band that excites me more to see right now. Worthy of the price of admission, my friend Julianna and I will be playing all kinds of nuggets between bands. Perfect Tuesday.





K, so now fast forward to Friday. Sonofabitch this night is going to be special. This one's at The Whistle Stop and it's free. Beaters are playing again. This time last. They're the big dogs on this one. Coming down from LA is Best Coast, one of the best new things on the planet. So good, that I'm releasing a 7" very very soon. I've written about BC before, so scroll down and read if you don't know. Pearl Harbour is joining BC down the raod from LA. From what i here all kinds of LA stoners are coming down here. Also, scroll down and read my thing about Pearl Harbour. They rule. My good friend Jeff Graves and I will be playing punk rippers between bands and soul 'n' oldies stompers after. You know, the ladies like to dance so why cheat 'em.

Convinced? See you San Diego...and bring yr party hat.

I'd like to add, I'm quite proud of the Friday night flier/poster. Nice lookin' piece. The Tuesday one, rather is an uninspired piece of shit. i should be ashamed of myself. Man does it stink. All it is is a Wipers inner sleeve zeroxed with words sloppily placed on. I hope fools still come.

Dum Dum Girls Is On Sub Pop

Look for an cd/lp in 2010. Kind of fun, right? Label mates with her namesake, The Vaselines (remember the Dum Dum song? It rules..)

Still coming this year, is a song on the upcoming four way split 7" with Crocodiles, PENS, and Grafitti Island on Art Fag Recordings, a cassette anthology also on Art Fag, a split with Frankie Rose on Hell Yes, a split with Crocodiles on Needless and the Jail la La single on a label who's name escapes me.

Congrats Dee Dee!!

Crocodiles Europe Tour Begins Saturday

Crocodiles are gone to Europe. Here are the dates.

Jul 11 PARADISO Amsterdam
Jul 12 OLD BLUE LAST London
Jul 14 K4 Nurnburg
Jul 15 BANG BANG CLUB Berlin
Jul 17 CLUB 007 STRAHOV Prague
Jul 21 HANA BI Ravenna
Jul 22 PARKLIFE FESTIVAL Milan
Jul 23 MAKEUP CLUB Ghent
Jul 24 FREE BUTT Brighton
Jul 25 TRAMLINES FESTIVAL Sheffield
Jul 26 CHAMELEON Nottingham
Jul 26 ROYAL Derby
Jul 28 STEREO Glasgow
Jul 30 WHELANS Dublin
Jul 31 CHORLTON IRISH CLUB Manchester
Aug 1 CLWB IFOR BACH Cardiff
Aug 4 BARDENS BOUDOIR London

Pearl Harbour Is The Shit Dude

Soooooooo, Pearl Harbour is just another great nugget from Los Angeles. LA nuggets. Piper and Sky. A couple o' California sisses. Whoa, is 'sisses' a word? Anyway, this is super melodic and sundried perfection. Fits right there with Best Coast and Nite jewel. So go and click below and listen! My favorites are Lost At Sea and Vapor Girls. Look for some releases soon. Lastly, look for them LIVE in San Diego with Beaters and Best Coast on Friday July 17 at The Whistle Stop. I mean if you live in San Diebro.



Pearl Harbour Myspace